Fail-proof Biryani

www.xawaash.com

There are different ways of preparing biryani. The following is one of the methods we use and it always yields great results. The beauty of this method is that it eliminates a lot of guesswork on the proper length of time needed to cook the different ingredients to the right doneness. Overcooked rice, undercooked meat, burned biryani, will all be a thing of the past.

The rice, meat, and vegetables are all partially-cooked separately and then assembled for the final steaming. Broiling the chicken adds flavour, a nice colour, and results in moist, succulent meat. The chicken is broiled until half-cooked and it finishes cooking during the final baking step.

It is important not to drain the boiled rice until dry. The rice should be hot and moist when adding to the chicken and vegetables. The baking dish should be covered very well to make sure that steam does not escape when steaming the biryani.

We hope to post other recipes for biryani using different methods as well as different ingredients.

In a food processor, place the ginger, garlic, cilantro, mint and the chili peppers. Blend well.

Marinate the chicken with the herb mix, spices, turmeric, chicken bouillon powder and oil. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.

Soak the rice for one hour.

Slice the onions and fry in batches over medium heat until golden brown.

Shake off the marinade from the chicken. Place in a roasting pan and broil at 400°F/204°C for 15 minutes. The chicken will be half-cooked.

In a saucepan set over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil and the remainder of the marinade. Fry for 1 minute, stirring well. Add the tomatoes, potatoes and stir. Add the yogurt and chicken bouillon powder and stir well. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes or until the potatoes become fork tender.

Soak the saffron in 1/3 cup hot water.

Using high heat bring 12 cups (3 litres) of water to a boil, then add 2 bay leaves, 3 tablespoons salt, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, and 2 tablespoons oil. Drain the soaked rice and add to the boiling water. Cook the rice for 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the hot, very moist rice to the baking dish.

Assembling the biryani

Assembling the biryani

Assembling the biryani

Sprinkle a handful of the fried onions over the chicken. Add half the rice and spread evenly.

Add the vegetable stew. Sprinkle more onions, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and 2 tablespoons mint, then cover with the rest of the rice.

Add the saffron, 1/2 teaspoon rose or kewra water, and 3 tablespoons of browned butter or ghee. Cover tightly with aluminium foil and steam in the oven at 400°F/204°C for 30 minutes. Make sure to wrap it very well so no steam escapes.

Chicken bouillon powder (our favourite brand)

Blend into a paste

The chicken with the marinade

The marinated chicken

Ready for broiling

The broiled chicken

The broiled chicken is amazing on its own. Broil for 35 to 40 minutes for perfect doneness.

Mashallah! thank you for putting up this wonderful blog,my husband is indian but born and brought up in berbere ,he is so pleased that I have learnt to cook Somali food from your site.Appreciate your efforts.

I absolutely adore your recipes, they give me the
inspiration I need to get in the kitchen and cook.
I was wondering if you could please post a recipe
For kk. My boys will thank you for that and I thank you for
Your wonderful recipes. Keep ‘em coming.

It is me again. I have never use the broil but only the bake
for my oven. So do I have to preheat before broiling the chicken
since the heat is too near for food? And do I have to turn the
chicken from time to time? Please advise.
Thank you.

Your recipes make everyone want to cook even if they don’t, like myself. Very simple and easy to follow. This recipe turned out amazing on my first attempt which I didn’t think it will. I’m also waiting for something New.
Thank you for your great recipes

Thank you so much for this recipe, i remember i requested his a year ago and you finally brought it to the table, i’m so happy and can’t wait to try it very soon insha’allah…Thank you guys soooo much!!

Thank you soo much! I’ve had my share of “failed attempt” to making baryani! I will definitely make this tomorrrow. I only wish you did a tutorial for the raita (yogurt side dish) as well! Yummy. May allah bless your time and knowledge. Ameen!

My compliments. My mother and I are both fans of your blog. Thanks for sharing and celebrating Somali food. A little side note: the wordpress widget for social media seems to be messing up your blog posts, because the icons are gigantic. Maybe you might want to change that. Again, thanks for inspiring us Somalis in the diaspora .

Thank you very much for your comment, and thank you both for being fans. On our end the widgets are scaling properly. Can you please send us a screen shot, and let us know the browser you are using. Thank you in advance.

Assalamu alaikum. I would love to make this but my daughter is allergic to dairy. Can I use coconut cream in place of the yoghurt and just omit the ghee? Also I only have chicken stock cubes, not powder, how many cubes would I need for the recipe?

I have never been able to cook perfect rice ever. Last night, I tried this recipe and it was the BEST I have ever made.
I don’t know how to put into words my appreciation to your beautiful blog, I don’t have enough words to thank you. You do such a great job! Keep it up.

Maashaa Allah thank you for a beautiful website and for making tasty food seem easy enough to learn . I would like to know how many servings I can make from this recipe? I’m having a dinner party and wanted to make this for a group of ten people. Can I also substitute the nuts for raisins?

Thank you very much for your kind comment. It will depend on the appetite and also what else you will be serving. As a rule of thumb, one cup of rice is good for two adults. For ten we advise you to double the recipe, since the recipe includes chicken in addition to the rice. Yes, you substitute raisins for the nuts. We wish you success.

Delicious! So very excited to have found your videos and your website. Thank you so much for the attention to detail. Watching your videos is a joy and cooking this wonderful Biryani was a truly memorable experience. We cannot wait to make again for friends and family!

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About (Annaga)Qui Sommes Nous نبذة عنا

We are a husband and wife team and we live in Canada. In a world full of food complications, we make cooking very simple. Our recipe videos will make your cooking easy, relaxed and enjoyable. We bring you the foods we love from Somalia and from around the world.